TRD Supercharger.... Worth it?

[adkinsadam1]

I spoke to a man recently about his supercharged 3rd gen 4runner, and he said if he could go back he would not have done it. He said it was not worth the hassle for the slight increase in power he noticed.

I was thinking about it but maybe he is correct? What do all you supercharged runners think? Is the power just remarkable? Is it so worth it? Or do you agree with him? Are there other more sensible performance options you would have preferred?

Thanks!

 

[Dirtyfingers]

Worth it.

 

[BigBluePile]

I enjoy it

 

[I'mStock]

Dude sounds like a woman. Worth it.

 

[adkinsadam1]

I don't know he just seemed pretty underwhelmed by the power difference - he was saying it was the same as driving a v8 4th gen 4runner - no better.

 

[nor_cal51501]

Whoever you spoke to is crazy, the supercharger is the best thing ever. Drives much better and is way more enjoyable to drive. Entirely worth it in my opinion.

 

[I'mStock]

I don't know he just seemed pretty underwhelmed by the power difference - he was saying it was the same as driving a v8 4th gen 4runner - no better.

And? It's a 3.4 liter V6 being compared to a V8, pretty sure that's a good thing...

Numbers don't lie, it doesn't make the truck a "powerhouse" but it's a great improvement.

 

[NateMob]

Very well worth it.

 

[MCObray]

I'm probably in the minority, but I would never go Supercharger. Flame suit on.

IMO:
Money can be better spent on other accessories, or towards trips themselves.
Premium Fuel. Always.
Less(er) MPGs.
Additional money, if you want to do it right. URD.
One more thing that can wrong. Yes, I know it's a Toyota.

 

[SCRunner12]

I'm probably in the minority, but I would never go Supercharger. Flame suit on.

IMO:
Money can be better spent on other accessories, or towards trips themselves.
Premium Fuel. Always.
Less(er) MPGs.
Additional money, if you want to do it right. URD.
One more thing that can wrong. Yes, I know it's a Toyota.

Have you driven a supercharged 4runner before? Not trying to attack you at all, but just wondering.

Your point of less MPG's is actually false. I'm getting the same if not better MPG's since supercharging. Sure if I stop on the gas all the time I would be getting less MPG, but not as I'm driving now. I'm actually downshifting a lot less and can go up hills at 70 MPH that I would otherwise drop down to 55 MPG. I can understand some other points, but it really does change the way you drive and the enjoyment. I was ready to give up on my lifted 4runner, but now I'm so happy driving it.

 

[TC2002SE]

I've been interested in doing the supercharger also. I saw one on craigslist a few months back used for $2200 but I do not know enough about them to make that deal or know if it was worth that price. What would it cost to supercharge one?

 

[LittleCaesar]

For those who crave an easy power upgrade, it is worth it. I'd personally do a compression test first to make sure one has a healthy engine before bolting one on.

From a fiscal/economical point of view, I would not bolt on something that costs close to half if not more than what my car is worth. I'd be more willing to go Singtoe's route instead. Such is MHO so YMMV.

 

[04rnr]

I did drive a 3rd gen with a S/C on it once, and to be honest, I didn't really notice much more power, It could be cause we are at 5280 elevation, don't know, but it didn't pull much better than my 3rd gen.
That's why I never put one on mine in the 7 years I owned the 3rd gen, IMHO it would have been a waist of cash.

 

[SCRunner12]

I've been interested in doing the supercharger also. I saw one on craigslist a few months back used for $2200 but I do not know enough about them to make that deal or know if it was worth that price. What would it cost to supercharge one?

That depends on how far you want to get into it and where you live. I have $1100 into mine total and I'm content with the power and how it runs. I would love to get the 7th injector kit, but I'm not running lean or pinging, so I don't feel like I need to rush. I'd say about $1000-2000 just for the kit and up to $3500 if you add the fuel management. These are based on used prices for superchargers.

For those who crave an easy power upgrade, it is worth it. I'd personally do a compression test first to make sure one has a healthy engine before bolting one on.

From a fiscal/economical point of view, I would not bolt on something that costs close to half if not more than what my car is worth. I'd be more willing to go Singtoe's route instead. Such is MHO so YMMV.

I understand what you mean about it costing close to half all said and done, but you can't compare Singtoe's V8. Most of us are not that mechanically competent to pull off a V8 swap. The wiring, fitment, custom exhaust and modifications are extremely above my level of knowledge, not to mention expensive if you don't have a donor vehicle. If it was easy enough then more people would have done it besides just him. Also us in California would have quite a headache making it fully smog legal. Compare that to myself being able to install a supercharger in a weekend with no help or custom work. Not trying to attack your comment, just pointing out that so many people are so quick to jump to the V8 swap idea, but never actually get it done.

 

[Brilliant]

Worth it to me.

 

[Dinabox]

Worth it. I live at 4500 elevation and it made a huge difference going over the passes, I can cruise control up them at 70 mph easy, before it was a downshift to 4th to get over them. Very noticeable power, especially with the 2.1 pulley and the URD 7th. All said and done I'm into mine $1900, that's a used charger, rebuilt the nose with new bearings, seal and coupler, URD 7th kit, 2.1 pulley and an Innovate MTX-L AFR gauge. So worth it to me, may not be for everyone.

 

[BenK]

For me, 100% worth it. This is my second supercharged 5VZFE in a lifted Toyota and I absolutely love the extra power. Its not an insane amount but I think it fills in all the weak points. Im at about 1100 ft above sea level and have zero pinging running the stock pulley, 93 octane, IK22s, and a 170* tstat.

I agree with SCRunner that a lot depends on how you drive it. On top of that, know what you want and what it will take to do it right up front. If you think everyone is stupid and you'll have no problems running a 2.1" pulley on 89 octane... you're asking for a horror story. There's a lots of accounts out there of supercharger troubles that boil down to someone trying to cheat the rules. The supercharger is a great accessory IMO and one that will likely make you love your 4R even more - BUT it needs to be installed with the proper accompanying parts to work right and keep your engine healthy.

 

[txbonds]

For free I'd love to have one.

For $2500 to $4000 I'd rather have a newly built engine instead for my usage


That said, someone just sold one with pulley and URD kit for $2500 over on Tacoma World but to me that still seemed like too much money even though I know it was a good deal relatively speaking.

 

[sn0wrunner]

Worth it for sure. Where are you located, would you like to test drive mine?

 

[white_n_slow]

I've actually never driven one, but I think the answer to this question depends 100% on the owner of the vehicle and how content he is with the power output.

I came to my first 3rd gen from an FJ60 (125hp and HEAVY) and a carbureted mini truck (80hp on a good day), and to me, the 3rd gen with a 5-speed was a veritable rocket ship compared to what I was used to.

If you feel like your truck doesn't have enough power for your needs and you have a couple thousand bucks laying around, there is the answer to your question.